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Team Aghavni

Final!

What a wonderful event and glad to share that we completed the 2021 Tour of New Zealand!

Thank you for your help and support.  Together, we surpassed our goals and have done well in supporting TearFund!

Day 3

Day 3 COMPLETED!

Nuff said.

#RidingforTearFund

Day 2

Day 2 done! Ride from Arrowtown to Wanaka, up and over the Crown Range! 55km and 1120 meters of elevation.  

Day 1

Wow.  Day 1 completed.  What an incredible experience, biking from Glenorchy to Queenstown.  Approx 40km and rain, rain, rain!  

Update 2

All packed and ready to head down to Queenstown tomorrow!  Preparations complete, now it's time to Ride!

Update 1

Hello all!

Update 1 as we approach 6 days until the start of the Tour of NZ Bike Race!   Woohoo!

We have recently sailed back to Whangarei marina, preparing to leave the boat here when we fly to the South Island in just a few days.

I have been going on a few longer rides and the family is busy wrapping up school and packing our gear.

We are greatly encouraged by your support for TearFund and know that together we are making a difference.

Enjoy the Easter weekend, Christ is Risen!


We are riding for Tearfund

Hello! Kia Ora! Great to "meet" you and thank you for taking the time to visit this site.

We are an Armenian-American family of six hailing from Easton, Maryland, USA. My wife and I, along with our four children, ages 6 through 13, arrived to New Zealand in November 2019 aboard our sailing yacht, Aghavni. 

We consider ourselves greatly blessed to have had the opportunity to explore this beautiful country, meet the amazing diverse people of the Kiwi Nation, and are continuously humbled by the “kindness of strangers” we have experienced here in Aotearoa.

While we remain unsure on our upcoming travel plans, we are excited to accept the invitation to participate in the 2021 Tour of New Zealand Bike Race!

We have decided as a family to work together with the riders and charities of the event and are all planning to come support the Race.  I am specifically raising funds for Tearfund, and to support their work against child sex trafficking and exploitation.

I must be honest that it is not easy to train for a bike race while living on a boat.  I have less than 30 days to prepare since hearing about the Race, and we are currently anchored on a remote island about 30 miles off mainland NZ.  However, I am committed to finding a way to finish this challenging 550km mountainous race and support this great local organization.

My legs will spin an estimated 800,000 times over the seven days of the Race, something they haven't done in quite some time!  According to the US State Department, that is the number of people trafficked across international borders every year, of which more than 50% are children (with an average age of 12 years old).

I'm cycling for them. For their freedom.

Please show your support by making a donation and know that Tearfund has been involved in fighting human trafficking for over a decade using the '5 P's' approach: prevention, prosecution, protection, policy, and partnership.  

Gratefully yours,

Sevan (and the entire crew of Aghavni)


Info on Race: http://www.tourofnewzealand.co.nz/

Info on our journey:
www.sailblogs.com/member/Aghavni

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

$3,579

My Goal

$3,500

Select amount to donate

$20
Helps to rehabilitate survivors and reintegrate them back into their chosen communities
$50
Helps to remove people from exploitative situations
$80
Helps to prosecute traffickers
$120
Helps to provide legal support and aftercare for trafficked people and exploited workers
$10

Or enter an amount

$
Donate

Thank you to my Sponsors

$500

Nishan Medzhaiirig Topjian

Go Team Aghavni. Peace and Grace. ?❤️?

$250

Getinet And Alexa Bantayehu

We have always been inspired by your adventures as a family. We are delighted to support you in this beautiful endeavor - we pray for you all, dear friends-that God would bless you and keep you. And we pray for the children for whom you are riding - that they would be rescued from the darkness. Godspeed!

$208

Nikitoo Lovesyou

$200

James & Christine Pitchford

May the Lord bless the family Topjian’s efforts and the people they seek to lift up. Thank you for providing us the opportunity to assist in this worthy enterprise.

$172.64

Grace Steckler

Great job, Sevan. I'm happy to watch your travels. Hopefully this donation gets you to your goal. The Stecklers

$128.96

David Marcian

Good Luck! I know you can do it.

$124.80

M & D Khachadoorian

There’s nothing you can’t accomplish as a team!! God Bless!! God Speed!!

$124.80

Stephen Gray

Dev may need an E Bike

$124.80

Nahapetian/deichmann Family

What a worthwhile cause. Cheering you on from the States!

$124.80

Stuart Dill & Maral Missirian-dill

Bravo! Thank you for supporting such a worthy cause! Prayers for great success! Enjoy the ride! We love you all! ❤️

$124.80

Sonia Kouyoumdjian

$120

Into The Blue

Best of luck and love to you all

$120

Sarafians

So proud and such a worthy cause!

$104

S/v Dash

Good Luck Team Aghavni

$104

Tripleshot

Go team Aghavni ⛵️

$104

Kole Riffle

Ride like the wind!

$104

Mania Missirian

Protecting the innocence of children around the globe. Thank you for your servant hearts , Team Aghavni! You. CAN do this, Sevan!

$104

Stewart Mcfall

Go Team Aghavni! Miss you guys but always glad to see you doing great things and follow along your adventures.

$104

Sea Cloud

Good luck team Aghavni!

$100

Sv Alcyone, Usa

Good luck Sevan and to the whole Aghavni support Crew!

$100

Fr Michael Ruskin

This is quite the challenge ! Well done you.

$80

Water Music

I had you down more as a Harley rider! Great effort

$52

Team Filizi

Good luck on the race! We are proud of all of you and the just cause you are supporting!

$52

Burmese Breeze

A great challenge Good Luck

$52

Andrew & Julia

What a great cause and what a fabulous family supporting it.

$52

Josh Lindsay

Great cause and a great family. Cheering you all on from the home front!

$52

Cristian Balan

$20.80

Sebouh Topjian

? shark ataaak! Go team Aghavni...

$20

Scott Rimm-hewitt

$20

Normantons

A big hug for all of you. Simon and Pippa

$20

Sharron Beck

Well done, I was busy on my own South Island trip and forgot to donate sorry.

$10.40

Viki Moore

Good luck for a wonderful cause.